Warrior's Heart

Escaping the Palace

-Merun-

My father was officially making my life a living hell. It was as though he were terrified that I would try to run off again. I mean, I fully intended to. But that didn't mean he had to restrict me to my rooms with a slew of guards watching my every move. That was just frustrating.

One of the soldiers also happened to be an asshole. He would intentionally make things worse for me, sometimes going so far as to delaying or preventing the servants from bringing my meals. I didn't eat a ton, although I had grown accustomed to eating regularly due to James's gentle care. But this particular palace guard seemed to especially have it out for me.

One day, a couple of weeks following my return and consequent incarceration, I attempted to leave my room to walk around the palace gardens. Of course, the guard - whose name was Justin Roanek - stood in my way.

"Where do you think you're going?" Justin sneered.

I crossed my arms, glaring at him, "I need some fresh air."

"The king has ordered that--"

I scoffed, rolling my eyes, "Look, sir, I don't care what my father says, alright? I'm going to the gardens to get some fresh air. Now, you can either come with me or stand here with your mouth open like a dumbass."

His eyes widened, obviously taken aback. I shouldered past him, not caring in the least what he thought. When I felt his hand grip my arm, however, I began to grow angry. I glared first at his hand over my wrist, then up into his eyes. He wasn't ugly. Perhaps a little older than me, with pale hair and stormy blue-grey eyes. In another situation, I might have found him attractive. But instead, I simply found him annoying, "Let. Go."

"Your Highness, the king has requested that--"

"No," I shook him off, stalking away. He simply followed, his arms crossed over his chest. But it wouldn't stop me from going outside. I just about had it with this guy, and if he seriously thought that he could control me, he would soon have a rude awakening.

-James-

I was pleased to find that none of my tribe were on the ship with me. Silently thanking God, I took note of my surroundings. I was below deck in one of the ships, my hands tied in front of me. There were others here as well, though they were dressed like Merun's people, rather than my own. I was grateful for this, but also worried. What did these men want with us?

Another thing that caught my attention: if Merun's brother had disappeared under similar circumstances, perhaps I would discover a clue on where he had gone. That would certainly help Merun. But, most importantly, I had to figure out a way to get back to my people.

The men brought food down hours after I awoke. Guessing by the amount of light streaming in through the door, I could tell it was after dark. I silently glared at him, daring him to come too close to me. I would show them.

The man crouched before me, setting a portion of the food in front of me. "Eat up. Wouldn't want you getting too skinny before we've even taken you to market, would we?" He smiled.

I smiled back. Then I spat in his face.

Sputtering, he wiped my saliva out of his eyes, "Why, you vile little--!"

"What are you going to do about it?" I growled, lowering my gaze to meet his.

He gripped my necklaces, pulling me forwards. I didn't break eye contact, especially not as he got closer to me, "I'll beat the living daylights out of you, scum."

"Do it. I dare you," I egged him.

With a yell, he swung his fist. I moved out of the way just enough, unable to hide my smug smile. He swung another, this one barely glancing off of my shoulder. Finally, he gripped my bindings, getting to his feet and motioning for my to follow. When I didn't comply, he dragged me forwards.

"Come... on... you stupid... savage!"

I leapt to my feet, gripping the front of his shirt in my fists as I growled, "Call me that again."

His eyes widened, his hands finding my own. He very quickly realized that he was outmatched, his eyes passing from my clutched fingers to my angry gaze. "S-savage?"

I pushed him away from me hard, his back hitting the floor. I could feel the eyes of the other prisoners on me as I stalked towards him. He tried to scramble away, whimpering pathetically. My foot landed on his arm, just near the inside of the elbow. "How do you think a broken arm would feel?" I purred, applying the slightest bit of pressure beneath my foot. He began to blubber incoherently, sounding as though he were begging for my mercy. I removed my foot. "Shoo."

He crawled away a bit and jumped to his feet, running for the door. Once he was gone, the prisoners were all laughing. I smiled, sitting back down in the place I had been. I liked it much better when I held all the cards. But this fight wasn't over. I still had to escape.

-Merun-

Justin trailed a few steps behind me as I made my way through the gardens.

"Can't I have just a little bit of privacy?" I grumbled, exasperated.

"No," Justin snorted, "Then you might run off."

I rolled my eyes, "Or maybe not! Geez, dude, loosen up."

Justin groaned, leaning against a tree with a bored expression on his face, "Can't we go back inside?"

"Sure, go ahead," I walked past the tree and kept going. If he wanted to follow me, I didn't care anymore. But I wasn't going to let him stop me from leaving.

"I'm not going back in the palace without you," he leaned around the tree, frowning, "Where are you going?"

"To find my brother," I crossed my arms, looking back at him, "Are you coming or are you just going to run back to the palace and blab to my father?"

He hesitated for a moment, thinking things through. Then, he took a step towards me, "Fine. Lead the way."

I grinned and with that, we were on our way.